A canopy comprised of more than 200 solar panels from SolarWorld graced the red carpet at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards, giving solar energy its first starring role in U.S. entertainment culture.

The 50-kW system went prime time during the official live pre-show “Countdown To the Emmys,” which aired Sept. 18 on FOX, where the hottest names in American television walked beneath the solar awning outside the Nokia Theatre at the Los Angeles live entertainment center. This year’s show presented solar power as an energy option available to regular homeowners around the country and even the world.

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FOX, presenter of this year’s Emmys, selected SolarWorld’s solar panels to help power the television industry showcase that increasingly has featured green elements in FOX’s campaign “Green it. Mean it.” The many sustainable enhancements of the awards event included carpet manufactured from recycled materials, energy-efficient lighting and locally sourced and organically grown food. FOX believes this year’s red carpet pre-show was the most visible eco-friendly event of its kind.

Now after the show, the solar panels will go on to star in a sequel role: SolarWorld and FOX will donate them to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization dedicated to “eliminating substandard housing by making simple, sustainable and affordable housing a matter of conscience and action.” The panels will serve 10-20 households while enabling Habitat for Humanity to provide better energy efficiency to hard-working, low-income partner families and individuals throughout greater Los Angeles.

A domestic solar producer that employs Americans to manufacture panels according to U.S. environmental, safety and labor standards, SolarWorld is a natural fit for the Emmys. Like Hollywood itself, SolarWorld’s technology is rooted in Southern California. The company’s Camarillo site, considered a solar-industry birthplace, is just 40 miles north of Los Angeles.

“The Emmys spotlight the tastes, trends and technologies which viewers nationwide are tuning into in their lives,” said Kevin Kilkelly, president of SolarWorld Americas. “This year’s show will mark the historical moment when solar power made its debut in American popular culture.”